Ice tray



Jan. 14, 1941.

A. LENNING ICE TRAY Filed Feb. 23, 1937 INVENTOR. BY Cum M wt I ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 PATENT OFFICE ICE TRAY Alvar- Lenniiig, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 23, 1937, Serial Nb. 127,002 In Germany March s, 1936 12 Claims. (01. 62-1085) My invention relates to ice trays and grid structures for use in household refrigerators, and has for its object the provision of an improved ice tray to facilitate the removal of its frozen contents. More particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide an improved ice tray and a device cooperating therewith to facilitate the removal of a grid structure and ice pieces therefrom. A further object of my invention is to provide an improved flexible grid structure for use in the production of ice pieces in refrigerators, whereby the ice pieces are readily removed therefrom by a simple twisting action of the grid structure.

The invention, together with the objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and of which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ice tray and a grid structure embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view of the ice tray and grid structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the ice tray shown in Fig. 1 with the grid structure omitted to illustrate parts of the ice tray more clearly.

In Fig. 1, a grid structure is shown positioned in an ice tray ll having a resilient bottom and side walls. The tray II is preferably made of suitable thin metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, and about the upper edges of the side walls is provided an outward extending flange I2.

The grid structure l0 embodying my invention comprises two zigzag-shaped longitudinally extending partitions l3 disposed between a straight longitudinal partition I l. The partitions l3 and M are arranged to form triangular-shaped ice pieces, and the ends of the partitions are secured to cross members l5 which'extend into the endsof the tray and are provided with spaced flanges l6 and I! overlying the upper edges of the tray.

The flanges i6 and I! serve as handles for twisting larger central flange 18 which, extends .over one. of the short end wallsof the tray to facilitate the removal of the grid structure from the tray,'as.will

be described hereinafter.

In accordance with my invention the tray II is so formed that one wall is deformable and capable of being stretched or elongated, and a device is provided to elongate the wall and break the bond produced between the ice and the wall of the tray.

The device is preferably so constructed that, in addition to breaking the bond between the ice and the wall of the tray, the device is also capable of exerting a separating force between the grid structure and the tray body. I accomplish this by forming the tray II in such a manner that one end wall is corrugated or zigzag-shaped, as shown at I 9 in Figs. 1 and 4. The flange at the upper edge of the end tray wall is broken away adjacent the indented or zigzag portion [9 thereof, and at each side of the indented portion IS the flange is looped to form sleeves 20 adapted .to receive a. pin 2|.

To the pin 2| is secured an end of a relatively In using the grid structure It) and the tray ll just described, the grid is positioned inthe tray and the latter is filled with water. After the water has been frozen and ice pieces have been produced by placing the tray in a cooling unit of e a refrigerator, the tray is taken out of the cooling unit with the lever 22 in the vertical position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The flexible lever 22 is then pulled upward toward the horizontal position shown in Fig. 4. With such upward movement of the lever the highest points of the flexible sloping sides adjacent the slot 23 bear against the underside'of flange l8. Since the gridstructure l0 and ice pieces are frozen solidly in the tray l I, the flange l8 remains in a fixed position where'- by the'sloping sides of the lever are flexed and bear against the inner ends ofthe sleeves 20. Due to this wedge actionof the lever the sleeves-20 are forced outwardly and away from each other whereby the end wall of the tray is'expanded or elongated and the upper edges of the tray walls are deformed.

The deformation or distortion of the end tray.

wall causes the tray wall to break its bond with a the ice.-1-After the bond between 'the fronttraywall and ice has been broken and the upward movement of the lever 22 continued, a separat and the tray I I. This is readily accomplished'by giving the lever such a curvature that the le er ing force is-exerted between the grid structure In the grid structure It! to separate from the bottom of the tray with the ice pieces clinging thereto.

When the ice bond is once broken at the front' end wall of the tray, the continued upward movement of the lever causes a gradual peeling of the ice from the tray walls and along the bottom of the tray, whereby the removal of the grid structure and ice is readily effected.

By holding the flanges J6 and ll of the grid cross-members l and twisting the grid by'turning the members l5 back and forth in opposite directions, the ice pieces are readily released by the twisting action of the partitions l3 and H.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that by the single continued upward movement of the tongue-shaped lever22, the/bond between the ice and the front end wall of the tray is first broken and subsequently the grid structure with the ice pieces clinging'thereto-is separated from the tray. By constructing the tray and the device so that the ice bond is first broken,

the relatively great force that would otherwise be necessary to separate the ice and grid structure from the tray is reduced considerably. Since the curvature given the lever 22 adjacent the end fixed to the pin 2| is similar to that of an eccentric or cam, peeling or shearing of the ice readily takes 1 place about all of the tray walls and the tray bottom with continued upward movement of the lever after the ice bond has once been broken.

The eccentricity of the lever effectively raises the grid structure and ice with such peeling and shearing and, since the force applied to the lever is multiplied many times due to the wedging action A of the lever, very little effort is required on the part of the user to remove the grid structure and ice pieces from the tray. Since both ends of the grid structure III are similar, the grid structure can be positioned in the tray II with either end disposed at the front end wall of the tray.

Although I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent'that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is: I

1. Apparatus for producing ice pieces comprising a tray body adapted to hold water to be frozen and having resilient bottom and side walls, one .of said side walls being deformable, a grid member removably fitting into said tray body, and mechanism including a member extending lengthwise of said deformable wall operative to bear against a part of said grid and parts of said tray to deform said one wall and break the bond between such wall and the ice.

2. Apparatus for producing ice comprising a tray adapted to hold water to be frozen and having bottom and side walls, one of said side walls being deformable, a grid member removably fitting into said tray, and mechanism including a flexible member extending lengthwise of said deformable wall adapted upon movement thereof to contact a part of said grid member and parts of said tray to deform said one side wall to break the bond between such wall and the ice.

3. Apparatus for producing ice comprising a tray adapted to hold water to be frozen and having bottom and side walls, one of said walls being deformable, agrid member removably fitting into said tray, and mechanism including. a cam-shaped member extending lengthwise of said deformable wall operative first to deform said one wall to break the bond between such side wall and the ice and subsequently to exert a separating force between said grid member and said tray.

\ 4. An ice tray for refrigerators adapted to hold 5. Apparatus for producing ice pieces including a trayadapted to holdwater to be frozen and having a resilient bottom and side walls extending upward from the bottom, the side walls being rigidly connected together at their ends, a grid member removably fitting in the tray, one of the side walls being so shaped and formed that it is expandable in the direction of its length, mechanism operative to cause stretching of .said expandable wall and effect outward spreading of the side walls connectedto the ends of said expandable wall, and said mechanism also being operative to lift the grid member bodily away from the bottom of the tray when it is being opera-ted to cause stretching of said expandable wall.

6. In combination with an ice tray for refrigerators adapted to hold water to be frozen and having a resilient bottom and side walls, one

of said side walls being so shaped and formed that it is expandable, a stretchable member arranged to extend in the direction of said expand-- able wall and having the ends thereof adapted to cooperate with said tray at spaced points, and

said stretchable member being so constructed and arranged that, when force is applied to an intermediate region thereof, its ends spread apart to cause lengthening of said expandable wall and thereby break the ice bond between the expandable wall and ice contained in said tray.

7. Apparatus for'producing ice pieces comprising an element including an upstanding deformable wall, spaced projections on said element and relatively movable with deformation of said wall, and mechanism extending lengthwise of said deformable wall for forcing said projections away from each other to deform said wall and break an ice bond.

8. Apparatus for freezing matter including an element having a deformable wall, a flexible or extensible member extending in the direction of said deformable wall and having portions thereof adapted to cooperate with said element at spaced points, and said flexible or extensible member being so constructed and arranged that, when force is applied to an intermediate region thereof, its ends spread apart to cause deformation of said wall to break a frozen bond.

9. Apparatus for producing ice including an element having a deformable wall, a resilient member extending in the direction of said deformable wall and having the ends thereof adapted to cooperate with said element at spaced points, and said resilient member being so constructed and arranged that, when force is applied to an intermediate region thereof, its ends move away from each other to cause deformation of said wall.

10. Apparatus for freezing matter including an element having a deformable wall and spaced walls transverse to said deformable wall, said eluding a member extending in the direction of said deformable wall and operable to act on said deformable wall to deform the latter and cause said transverse walls to spread apart.

11. Apparatus for freezing ice including a tray element and a grid element removabiy fitting in said tray element, one of said elements having a deformable wall, a flexible or extensible member extending in the direction of said deformable wall and having portions thereof adapted to cooperate with said one element at spaced points, and said flexible or extensible member being so constructed and arranged that, when force is applied to an intermediate region thereof, its ends spread apart to cause deformation of said wall and break an ice bond while said grid element is in said tray element.

l its ends spread apart to causedeformation of said wall to break an ice bond while said grid element is in said tray element, and said mechanism also being effective to bodily lift said grid element away from the bottom of said tray element.

' ALVAR LENNING. 

